Smartphone without data service?

[sandhawke]

Does anyone know of a carrier that will let you use a smartphone without paying $30+/mo for data service?

(this is for my kids.... they don't need data service; I just want to pay the $9.99 per line, but I'd like them to be able to be android phones.)

Comments

[sandhawke]

I'm not sure about iPhones, but I'm now looking at t-mobile prepaid and it doesn't seem to require data service....

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phones

[crschmidt]

If you don't need *any* data, then Android phones work fine without having any data plan on your sim, so you can buy any prepaid or whatever plans and they work fine.

[totient]

You can totally get a smartphone with no data plan *if* you get it in a way that doesn't get you the subsidy. Used phones and prepaid both work fine for this. Boost specifically advertises that they have Android phones; they don't even restrict you to no data for your $40/month, though I believe it's 1xRTT or equivalent only.

[wotw]

Well, a technically correct answer is that Verizon charges me only $25 a month
for data service, which is not $30+/month. But I had the impression when I
got this phone that the data service was optional; if I remember that
accurately, than that's a better answer.